Despite being the most well-known holy saga of Hindus for millennia, Ramayana still raises numerous questions that remain unanswered or are not answered satisfactorily. To list a few –
Why is there no mention of other Vedic dynasties like Bharatas and Yadavas in Ramayana saga?
How long did Rama stay at Visvamitra’s hermitage?
At what age did Rama and Sita marry?
Was Kaikeyi so naïve to expect that Rama’s successor will be Bharata and not Rama’s son?
Why did Lakshmana’s wife not follow him into exile?
Why was Rama exiled to Dandakaranya?
Why was asceticism enforced on Rama during exile?
Why did Surpanakha try to woo Rama, an enemy of Rakshasas?
Are Vanaras monkeys? Or forest folk? Or are they something else?
Are Rakshasas Dravidian natives of South India?
Why Rama chose to assassinate Vali rather than face him openly?
If Lanka of Ravana is eight hundred miles across the sea, why is Rama Setu only less than forty miles in length?
Why did Hanuman fight Rakshasas and set fire to Lanka rather than return home silently?
Why Bharata gave no help to Rama while latter was fighting at Lanka?
Why did Rama spare Ravana rather than kill him during their first encounter?
But even more importantly, are the descriptions of miraculous events and phenomena in Ramayana - like demons, use of celestial weaponry, supernatural monkeys, bridge building across the sea, up and down solo transoceanic flight, a flying vehicle capable of accommodating any number of passengers etc. - real, imaginary or allegorical?
This book addresses all these questions and presents a coherent account of the historical events that inspired the epic poetry.